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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

In Stages

I've been asked by several of you if I could show a few of my pieces in stages of development, and that last post was something like that. The Sketchbook Challenge has got me thinking about process, and spending more time in the development of an idea. I don't ordinarily post pix of pieces in stages because I never know where a piece is going or if it is even going to make it. I don't want to interrupt the process to go scan something (I generally scan my pieces in at least two parts and then put them together in Photoshop). But since sketchbooks and therefore idea development are going public for the Sketchbook Challenge, here is a shot at showing a piece in progress. First, my fountain pen sketches in my tiny (4.5"x6") sketchbook. Then "Stage One" of a composition. And just for good measure, a photo of some of my sketchbooks.

In case you are wondering, here is how I did the "Stage One": 11"x11" watercolor paper; couple coats of gesso; lay down color (Naples Yellow); make big shapes (Jenkins Green and Quin. Gold) and press or draw texture into them; a layer of clear medium - can't remember what; scrape some Pthalo Turquoise over the green, let some green show through. Stop, think, scan, Photoshop, post a blog about it.... If this goes anywhere, I'll post the next stage.

2 comments:

Perfect now for a word-spill or word-whisper - where the background collage inspires the words that will follow, and then more images. This has me thinking it could go in so many directions. I love your description of the colours you used - they in themselves are a word-whisper. Looking forward to whatever transpires. (And what made you pick up those particular colours?)

I love how bold your colors are, so rich and full of themselves. Completely scary to me, but everything is scary to me. I keep my blog as much in secret as possible (only one really close friend can find it). And yet I am doing the Challenge, having never kept a visual journal before and preparing to burn the written ones, or huge sections of them(there's that scary, secret thing rearing its ugly head again). It's really helpful to us chickens to watch how you get from the idea in your head to paint on the page to adding and adding and adding. We get braver watching. Thanks, Msu